Assume for a moment that there is a meaningful distinction between eGovernment and eDemocracy (something I've discussed here recently), I think this question is worth asking.

eDemocracy is treated like the less glamorous sister of eGovernment and doesn't get quite the attention it deserves.

I partly suspect it's because eGovernment is where most of the money is and therefore where most developers and technologically-minded people work.

And, following the money and the people, it is what the books and articles and tweets and blogs also focus on.

A Google search for 'e-government' returns around 431m results, while one for 'e-democracy' finds 10.6m matches – that's about 2.5 per cent of the content written about its more attractive sister.

The eGovernment budget in the UK runs into billions of pounds across every department and agency, and employs tens of thousands of people directly and indirectly.

While eGovernment activities can involve the same kind of technology-based attempts at public engagement, it is by necessity engagement with government decision-making that we are talking about.

It is online consultations on government programmes, the release of government data and investment in government websites and IT systems that receive the funds.

To the extent that the government has ever thought coherently about eDemocracy, responsibility previously rested with the Ministry of Justice but now seems to have transferred to the Cabinet Office under Nick Clegg.

Other than the saga of eVoting, however, it is difficult to think of any interest the government has expressed in eDemocracy issues.

Well, you might say, the focus of the government should naturally be on eGovernment.

So perhaps Parliament could be expected to take an interest in eDemocracy?

But it is a sign of how beholden Parliament is to the government that it seems to have contracted out control of its own procedures and relations with the public to the government.

While the government spends billions on its own technology, it has in the past blocked an ePetition system for Parliament, expressing concern over the relatively insignificant costs.

Where else might eDemocracy policies come from?

Political parties – embedded as they are in both the institutions of government and Parliament and needing to maintain their responsiveness to public opinion – could be the saviours of eDemocracy.

I've noted repeatedly on this blog how the Conservative Technology Manifesto was the most comprehensive and coherent set of policies in this area (albeit still predominantly focused on eGovernment).

And the Liberal Democrats have been prompted to respond with their own policy review which is asking some of the right questions.

So the possibility of some policy competition between the parties suggests the issues could be developed further over the course of the next few years.

Let's hope they remember to think about eDemocracy as much as eGovernment.

eDemocracy Blog
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